Regardless of where we live, humans have three basic needs: food, water and shelter. Unfortunately, these needs are not being met in many parts of the world. Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water. Nearly 3 billion people live on less than two dollars a day. 30,000 children die each day due to poverty.

Many people in developing countries are doing their best to make a living, but they are often using inefficient and unsustainable methods. This, in effect, creates an even bleaker future. Slash and burn agriculture is widely used in Madagascar to clear land for farming and grazing. This has caused 90% of the country's original forest cover to disappear. Pesticides and chemicals are often used to grow agricultural products in Uganda when organic practices are easier and cheaper. Poor sanitation practices are widespread in much of Africa, causing water pollution and disease such as dysentery and diarrhoea.

As poverty increases people's vulnerabilities, basic needs in the third world countries are set to increase as a result of climate change. There is an urgent need to empower people of the developing world to adapt to their changing environments in the most sustainable way.

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